Marketers feel less confident they will be ready to meet the requirements of the incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) than they were three months ago, according to research carried out by the DMA.
The report found 54% of organisations said they were on course to comply with the legislation – which comes into force on 25 May 2018 – compared with 68% who were of the same opinion in February. In addition, 24% companies are yet to start planning for the new law.
Chris Combemale, CEO of the DMA Group, said: “Recent announcements and guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office have caused much concern, that the interpretation of the laws is overly strict, penalising the companies most committed to best practice, honesty and transparency. What the industry needs is balanced and fair guidance. With just 12 months to prepare we need this guidance urgently if we’re expected to be ready in time.”
The survey also found the anticipated impact of the regulations, which will harmonise data protection law across the EU, had increased among marketers. Some 54% said they would be ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ affected by the legislation, up from 44% in February.
A separate report from tech security provider WinMagic surveyed 500 IT decision-makers and found just 52% of businesses were confident they would be able to report a data breach to the authorities within 72 hours, as required by the new law. Just 27% of UK firms said they were completely confident they would be able to identify the precise data exposed in a breach.
More worryingly, recent research from the Crown Records Management revealed almost a quarter of UK firms have given up preparing for the EU General Data Protection in the belief it won’t apply after Britain leaves the EU.
